A group of VFX artists who have worked on the Avatar film series have voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), according to Variety.
What’s Happening:
- The vote marks the first time a group of “vendor-side” VFX artists have won union representation through an official National Labor Relations Board vote.
- The vote came down to 57 people in favor of union representation and 19 voting against. These VFX workers are employed by a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios and work on the Avatar films through the Lightstorm Entertainment production company.
- The Avatar VFX team followed workers from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures in voting to unionize with IATSE.
- While positions like production designers, art directors, camera operators, editors, hair and makeup artists and many more positions have been represented by IATSE across film and TV, VFX workers historically have not.
What They’re Saying:
- Patrick DeVaney, a post-vis coordinator at Lightstorm: “I could not be more proud of my fellow visual effects workers on the Avatar sequels for standing together to secure our right to collectively bargain for more equitable compensation and benefits.”
- Kristin Camera, a lab generalist at Lightstorm: “This is a huge step forward for our industry as a whole — we’ve come together as a united front to affirm our worth to not just the studios, but to the public as a whole. For too long I’ve been scared about where VFX is going, and even considered leaving. Now I actually feel like there’s a future for us, and I’m excited for it.”
- IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb: “Thanks to the courage of these workers and others, we stand at the cusp of a new era in VFX. An era where every worker’s contributions and value are recognized, and they can win the same rights and protections their union co-workers already have. As we move on to discuss negotiating a fair contract with management in good faith, let this moment serve as a beachhead for the entire industry.”